Crop 1: Palm Oil
Palm oil is grown primarily from African Oil Palm (Elais guineensis var.), a palm plant which is grown in tropical climates around the world for its oil. Palm oil is a valuable commodity commonly used in food production. Palm oil can be sold in a crude or refined state. In the Osa Peninsula, palm oil is produced largely through contract agriculture under Grupo Numar, which offers plantation managment plans which have been comparitively lucrative compared to many other food crops. Palm oil is largely grown for export, which the main destinations being Mexico, the Netherlands, and Nicaragua.
https://inogo.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/African%20palm%20social%20landscape%20INOGO%20June%202013.pdf
Crop 2: Coffee
Coffee has been grown in Costa Rica for over 200 years. Coffee production is Costa Rica has its roots from Spanish Colonists in the 1700’s, who introduced the plant and started producing it in large quantities upon the realization that Costa Rica provides a perfect climate for it to grow. Coffee beans are harvested and processed, which usually involves drying the bean in the sun. Coffee is grown to export, with the main destinations being the United States, Belgium, and Switzerland. Coffee farms also commonly offer tours, which adds another stream of income to the farmers.
https://www.govisitcostarica.com/travelInfo/day-trips/coffee-plantaions.asp
COSTA RICA : What to Expect from Crop 22/23?
Crop 3: Banana
Bananas are one one of Costa Rica’s largest and most important exports. The fruit come from the banana tree, which was introduced to Central America by Portugese and Spanish colonists in the 16th century. Banana production has been a staple to Central American agriculture ever since. There is not an intense refinement process for bananas, aiding the scale of production throughout Costa Rica. Costa Rica, despite its small size, is the worlds 3rd largest exporter of bananas (2021). There are common issues associated with growing bananas, including nematodes and other pests. Pesticides and fungicides are commonly used to combat the issues and aid the production of the important food crop.
https://croplife.org/news-views/sharing-the-story/brilliant-bananas-from-costa-rica/
https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-product/bananas/reporter/cri#:~:text=About&text=Exports%20In%202021%2C%20Costa%20Rica,exported%20product%20in%20Costa%20Rica.
Crop 4: Pineapple
Pineapple is another fruit which is commonly grown for export in Costa Rica. In fact, Costa Rica is the largest exporter of pineapple in the world, with nearly 70% of the global market share, with the United States being the largest importer. Similarly to bananas, the refinement process for pineaplle is relatively minimal, with basic pesticides, fungicides, and preservatives being used to assure quality and quantity of the fruit. These methods have led to issues in the past of chemicals seeping into important waterways and posing threats to local wildlife and people. This inspired the creation of the INSP, the National Initiative for Sustainable Pineapple Production. This legislature has helped regulate and monitor pineapple production throughout Costa Rica and any environmental impacts caused through its production and export.
https://www.producereport.com/article/2022-global-pineapple-exports-fall-lower-costa-rican-supply#:~:text=Global%20pineapple%20exports%20in%202022,market%20share%20of%20nearly%2070%25.
Costa Rica and Colombia continue to boost pineapple exports to the U.S
https://www.undp.org/facs/costa-rica-sustainable-pineapple
Crop 5 : Sugarcane
Sugarcane has been grown in Costa Rica since it was introduced by Spanish colonists in the 1600’s. In order to extract sugar from the sugarcane, the sugarcane is crushed, squeezed, and boiled in order to extract the sugar, before being further refined and purified and eventually packaged and shipped. The main destinations for Costa Rican sugar were the United States, Canada, and the European Union in 2016. Costa Ricas sugarcane exports total to around $40 million per year, making the crop vital to the Costa Rican economy. It is important to mention another use of sugarcane is in ethanol production, which comes from the fermentation of sugar. Costa Rica exported around $18 million in >80% ethanol products in 2021, adding even more value to the sugarcane crop.
https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/report/downloadreportbyfilename?filename=Sugar%20Annual_San%20Jose_Costa%20Rica_4-10-2017.pdf
http://www.oas.org/dsd/environmentlaw/trade/documents/tablecentralamericafinal%20_en_.pdf
https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-product/alcohol-80-abv/reporter/cri